Machine for extracting fiber from yucca and the like



H. H. HOLDAWAY. momma FOR EXTRACTING HBER mom YUCCA AND THE LIKE.

Patented May11,1920. i

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- Nuzzivronfi/ awa I HJH. HOLDAWAY. MACHINE FOR EXTRACTLNG FIBER FROM YUCCA AND THE LIKE.

v APPLICATIQN FILYED MAR. 17. m9. 1 ,339,8 25. Patented May 11, 1920.

3. SHEETS-SHEET 3.

5 7 a V I l lim iiiiill UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

HALL H. HOLDAWAY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIG-NOR TO DESERT FIBRE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEVADA.

MACHINE FOR EXTRACTING FIBER FROM YUCCA AND THE LIKE.

Application filed March 17, 1919.

T0 (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HALL H. HOLDAWAY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, having invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Machines for Extracting Fiber from Yucca and the like, do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and correct description of the same.

I have discovered from many experiments that in order to best separate the pulp from the fiber in yucca and the like, it is better to run the yucca leaves, one at a time, sidewise between heavy rollers so that the leaves lie parallel to the axes of said rollers, and then to pass the same between other rollers crosswise so that said leaves lie transversely of the axes of the rollers. I have also found that it is preferable to use rollers sufficiently large and long that the yucca leaves can be fed therebetween crosswise, and not endwise, the diameter of the rollers being such that the leaves are crushed properly as they are carried therebetween to be afterward fed endwise between other rollers, preferably arranged at right angles to the first rollers. I have also found that it is preferable to use rollers having knurled surfaces, as this keeps the fiber from slipping.

I have illustrated a practical form of my invention on the accompanying sheets of drawings, which I will now describe.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the same;

-Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my machine, with a portion broken out.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation, looking at the right hand end of the machine shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, take'n on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the yucca leaves are placed on a conveyer C, between slats s, and are thus carried upwardly and dropped between two large rollers 1 and 2, as indicated in Fig. 5. After passing downwardly between these two rollers, they are deposited on a conveyer 3, by which the crushed leaves are carried endwise and fed between two sets of rollers, 4, 4, and 5, 5 A water supply pipe 6, is provided with downwardly extending branches,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1920. Serial No. 283,267.

7 and 8, having at their lower ends, cross spray pipes 9 and 10, for supplying water to the crushed leaves as they are passed between the rollers. From the rollers 5, 5, the fiber is discharged on to any suitable receiving table or other receiving means, as at T, from which it is removed and dried.

I will now describe more in detail the mechanism for supporting and operating the conveyors and rollers above referred to.

The conveyer C runs over rollers 11 and 12, suitably journaled at their opposite ends in frame members 13, 13 and 14, 14. The upper roller 11, is provided at the end of its shaft with a driving sprocket 15, over, which runs a sprocket chain 16, driven by a sprocket 17, on a shaft 18, which also can ries a gear 19, driven from a pinion 20, on shaft 21. Said shaft 21 is provided with a pulley 22, to be driven by a belt 23, from any suitable power.

Mountedin the frame members 14, 14, is another shaft, 24, provided on its end with a gear 25, which meshes with gear- 19. The two big rollers, 1 and 2 are mounted, respectively on said shafts 18 and 24, and are, therefore, driven by the intermeshing sprockets 19 and 25. Mounted across the frame members 14, 14, below said rollers 1 and 2,

are two shafts, 26 and 27, which carry rollers, 28 and 29, around which the conveyer 3 travels. Mounted in frame members 30, 31 to one side of the machine thus far described, are two upper shafts, 32 and 33, and two lower shafts 34 and 35, which carry the rollers 4 and 5, and 4 and 5, respectively, hereinbefore referred to. Said shafts are provided at their ends with intermeshing gears, 32, 33, 34 and 25, as seen in Fig. 3. Gears 32 and 24 are in mesh with each other, as are gears 35 and 33 A stub shaft 36 is mounted in the frame and is provided with an intermediate gear 37 which meshes with the gears 34 and 35 for driving the same. Said stub shaft is provided with a pulley 38, to receive a driving belt 39. Shaft 34 is provided on its outer end with a sprocket wheel 40, as shown in Fig. 3. Shaft 27 is also provided with a sprocket wheel 41. Sprocket wheels 40 and 41 are connected by means of a sprocket chain 42, for driving the conveyer 3.

The bearings of shafts .32 and 33 are yieldingly moved downwardly by means of coiled springs 43 and 44, said bearings moving in ways 31 in the frame members 30 and 31. Means for adjusting the tension of said springs are indicated at 30*, 30, and 31 31 Tension springs as a5 are also provided for holding roller 1 against roller 2, as indicated in Fig. l. The bearings of shaft 2 f move in ways, as 46, Fig 4. The springs are adjusted as to their tension at 47, 47, Fig. 3.

On Fig. l, at 4, I have indicated that the surfaces of the rollers are knurled. It is not considered necessary to show this nurling as covering all the rollers, as this would tend to confuse the drawings.

What I claim and desire to cover by Letters Patent is,

l. The method of separating fiber from leaves of yucca and the like, which consists of feeding the leaves sidewise into position for treatment and successively thereafter crushing said leaves lengthwise of the fiber and crosswise of the fiber.

The method of separating the fiber from leaves of yucca and the like which consists of moving the leaves in single file into position for treatment, initially moving said leaves sidewise for cutting the fiber lengthwise of the leaves and finally moving said leaves endwise for cutting the fibers crosswise of the leaves. a

3. In a machine of the character referred to, in combination, rollers arranged in pairs, one pair being arranged at right angles to another pair, means for feeding leaves sidew-ise between one pair of rollers, whereby to crush them lengthwise of the fiber, and means for then feeding said crushed leaves endwise between another pair of rollers, for

further crushing them crosswise of the fiber.

at. In a machine of the character referred to, in combination, rollers arranged in pairs, one pair having their axes at right angles to another pair, said rollers having knurled surfaces, and means for directing matter passed between one pair of rollers to another pair of rollers.

In a machine of the character referred to,.1n combination, rollers arranged in pairs,

' one pair being arranged at right angles to another pair, said rollers having knurled ear-fares, means for directing matter passed between one pair of rollers to another pair of rollers, and means for washing said matter as it is passed from one pair of rollers to another pair, substantially as described.

6. In a machine of the character referred to, in combination, rollers arranged in pairs, one pair being arranged at right angles to another pair, means for feeding leaves sidewise between one pair of rollers, whereby to -rushthem in a given direction relative to the disposition of the fiber, means for then feeding said crushed leaves endwise between another pair of rollers, for further crushing them in an opposite direction relative to the disposition of the fiber, and means for washing out pulp and the like from said crushed leaves as they pass from one pair of rollers to another pair, substantially as described.

'7. In a machine of the character referred to, in combination, rollers having knurled or roughened surfaces and arranged in pairs, one pair being arranged to turn about axes at substantially right angles to the axes of the other pair of rollers, means for feeding leaves of yucca and the like, one by one, sidewise between one pair of rollers, whereby to crush said leaves in lines parallel to their fiber, means for directing said leaves from said first pair of rollers endwise between another pair of rollers, whereby to crush them in lines transversely of their fiber, and means for removing the pulp from said crushed leaves.

Signed at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, this 5th day of Vlarch, 1919.

HALL ,H. HOLDAXVAY.

In presence of H. M. BRUNDAGE, W. R. LITZENBERG. 

